When a family with two kids only ordered a kid’s meal at the restaurant, Judith felt concerned. She decided to watch them, and then made a signal asking the child “Do you need help?”. Right away she received the affirmation she sought.
Gut feeling
Judith had sufficient experience working in the same restaurant to be confident in her gut feeling regarding patrons. That evening, she received a young family and immediately felt uncomfortable. She didn’t have enough time to figure out what scared her. The restaurant was packed with customers because it was Saturday night. Judith took the family’s orders after they were seated at their table. They were quieter than the other visitors and had two little children present.
A strange order
Judith discovered the family had only ordered three meals. It didn’t add up because there were two parents and two kids. Children weren’t served a second meal, and there wasn’t even a side dish to go with the appetizers. Judith began to wonder what was going on.
Judith had observed parents depriving kids of food as punishment after years of attending to many families. However, there was a considerable difference between refusing to order food for a misbehaving child and not giving him any at all. She decided to know what was going on.
Watch and wait
Judith asked a coworker to take her place at the table for the time being. She wanted to spy on the family. Judith looked for a spot to observe the family covertly. She may stand on either side of the bar or take a position in the back waiter area. Both locations seemed natural. She would be able to make some deductions about the family after watching them for a while.
Excluded
Except for the little girl, everyone at the table was conversing and having a good time. Even when others laughed or recounted stories, she remained unresponsive. Judith did not observe any indications that the youngster was distressed by the circumstances, but she was also aware that some kids may adapt to dysfunctional households.
The girl looked like she needed to use the restroom. Or maybe she was in danger and wanted assistance. Her father, however, seized her hand and prevented her from moving. Judith was about to step in when she discovered the family’s meal had already arrived.
A closer look
Judith collected the meal and brought it to the table. After setting the meal in front of the parents, she took the one for the kid in her hand. Judith knew she had to speak as she couldn’t ignore it.
Judith claimed to be perplexed by the absence of a meal. To give the youngster a chance to reach, she asked which child it was that she had ordered the supper. She wasn’t at all shocked when the parents answered.
The answer
The father immediately said, “The meal is for my son,” without hesitation. She said that she would be pleased to check with the kitchen if it had been mistakenly missed. Judith, who was still perplexed, questioned if they were missing a second dinner for the kids.
While the family froze at Judith’s question, the girl looked especially interested in Judith’s query and gave the waitress a strange stare that she couldn’t quite interpret. A bit anxiously, the girl’s father said that his daughter wasn’t hungry. Judith didn’t believe him.
Put into suspicion
Judith realized right away that her parents were treating her differently. She wanted to inquire more but she had other tables to tend to and didn’t want to annoy the customers and get in trouble. She wasn’t going to give up, though.
There wasn’t much time to comprehend what was happening to the child. She couldn’t do anything if the young girl didn’t speak up. But Judith was resolved to find help for her at all costs. But how could she when her parents were present?
Sad to see
In between dishes, Judith continued to observe the family. The young girl didn’t eat anything. None of them offered to share their food with her or to give her a bite. Judith’s heart ached to see the young girl’s dejected expression. Someone had to take action.
While pretending to ignore the family, Judith was thinking of strategies. When her father refused to let her leave, Judith considered dragging her away from the table, but it seemed impossible. Finally, she had a plan.
Familiar territory
Judith had a thorough knowledge of the eatery as she has worked there for a long time and knew exactly where to stand to observe different tables. She believed she could signal the girl there without the rest of the family noticing. The girl first chose to ignore Judith’s attempt to reach her. But Judith knew she had to talk to her before the family left. She scribbled, “Do you need help?” on a piece of paper and passed it to her without her father noticing. The girl nodded while turning to face Judith. She now had to devise a strategy to approach the girl by herself.
Help from a coworker
The only area where Judith could speak to the girl without anyone interfering was in the restroom. She had a plan but required her coworker’s assistance to carry it through.
She alerted her closest associates about the family, and one of them concurred that she had seen it as well. Judith came up with a scheme to have her coworker spill some of her colas on the family and have them leave the table to the bathroom.
Informing the boss
Because she didn’t want to lose her job for assisting a girl, Judith had to first tell her manager. Her manager approved the strategy. Judith was quite anxious, but she was confident in their course of action. Quickly approaching the table, her colleague accepted the drink order. To ensure that the plan would work, they immediately prepared the order. Then everything started, and the beverages were spilled as planned. The father became irate.
Angry father
When the father became very upset with Judith’s colleague, she and her supervisor hurried to the table to assist. The father stood up to go to the restroom. The time to act was now. She offered to go with the kid. The daughter pleaded with the mother to accompany Judith even though she was initially hesitant. Her mother found this a little strange. The mother looked around her to see if her husband returning but there was no sign of him.
A whisper in the ear
It was even stranger than Judith initially realized. She was drawn in by the mother, who said in a low voice, “Take her now.” Judith couldn’t believe her ears. There was no time to waste, so she accompanied the girl to the restroom. The young girl, Anna, seemed relieved to have Judith all to herself. Finally, she was able to talk to Judith.
Feeling uneasy
Anna expressed some trepidation and questioned her loyalty even though Judith assured her that nothing would bad happen to her. The little girl wanted to say something, then they heard loud noises. Her father was outside and raised his voice. He looked angry and wanted Anna to come out. In a flash, Judith locked the door. She had to know what was happening.
Confronting the father
The manager tried to calm the father, but he wasn’t moved. Judith was unable to confine Anna to the restroom. If she didn’t let her go, the father yelled that he would contact the police. She hesitantly pushed open the door.
She turned to face the father, who had an irate expression. He took his daughter’s hand, then turned around and went back to their table. Despite being so near, Judith was still unsure of what was happening. She needed to know.
Muster the courage
The father refused to move when she asked to speak to him, claiming that he had nothing to say to Judith and asked her to mind her business. Judith had the guts to confront her father. She wasn’t sure how he would respond. But she had had enough of the circumstance. She would do whatever it took to assist Anna if she needed it since she felt it was the proper thing to do.
Approaching the table
Judith then approached the table, where the father inquired as to if she was there to make amends. He made fun of her when she told him she had other plans. He warned Judith to be careful because he wasn’t scared of her.
He was advised to stop talking and let Judith speak. The father was a little surprised by Judith’s response because he hadn’t anticipated it. Judith instructed him in a loud voice to tell her about Anna’s predicament. Then the father suddenly began to applaud.
A cheerful expression
Because she didn’t feel like she was being taken seriously, Judith told him to stop that he was ridiculing her. He had a broad smile and assured Judith that there was no need for concern going forward. Then, more odd things started happening. Judith was utterly shocked when the mother and the whole of the restaurant began applauding. Her manager then approached Judith and complimented her for acting morally. Judith asked for an explanation.
TV crew
Then a camera crew appeared out of nowhere. Judith was taken aback. She didn’t know how to respond. Then Anna approached Judith and gave her a big hug. You’re a good person, Judith, Anna continued. Judith asked for an explanation.
It seems that Judith’s best friend and boss put her in a hidden camera program to show the world what a wonderful person she is. Judith was at a loss for words.
Confused
All of this was completely surreal. With gratitude, Judith expressed how moved she was after having a challenging year. Her good deeds were finally acknowledged, which was pleasant for her. She was more concerned with the gestures made by others around her than with the exposure to television.
She was complimented for her good sportsmanship by the crew. Despite being tricked, Judith didn’t get upset. This revealed her positive side. Later, she and Anna, and her family watched the program together.
